Handprint on My Heart—er, Face
by Elling
Summary: Amelia gets tired of the whole self loathing thing from Zelgadis, who's reluctant to go to a council meeting in Seyruun. Fluffuly.


I promised myself I'd have three stories up before school started up for me. But I'm a dirty liar, even to myself. The firstweek has passed (it was a hell in the form of 3000+ walking sacks of raging hormones and innumerable unhappy teachers), and I wasn't able to keep up my promise due mainly to time-constraints (darn that need for sleep!). So here it is.

Hope it's enjoyable.

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"Mr. Zelgadis, are you ready? The Council meets in ten minutes, and we cannot be late!"

For the third time in the past half-hour, Zelgadis sighed. Why did he, Lina, and Gourry have to be presented to the Royal Council of Seyruun? That was the question he'd been asking himself uselessly for the last few minutes. Of course he already knew the answer. And there was no way he could get out of it.

The knock came again, this time more persistent. "Mr. Zelgadis, please! It takes five minutes to get to the council chamber from this wing, and we need to get going." Amelia was growing anxious. Some council members became crotchety when kept waiting, Zelgadis recalled as stared dejectedly at the door. He was sitting in one of the comfortable arm chairs in the room allotted to him, elbow propped on the arm-rest and his head cushioned by his loosely clenched fist. Let Amelia think him gone, and she would leave, to spare those cranky old men from waiting. Then he could leave a short letter explaining he was off searching for his cure again and make his escape. _Without_ having to deal with any crackly-voiced, stuffy old nobles.

Satisfied with that plan of action, he settled himself for a short wait. Amelia would leave soon, if she wanted to make the council-meeting on time. Surely the presiding royal couldn't be late… But Zelgadis watched, first with a touch of confusion, then mild panic as the mechanism in the door clicked to the unlocked position and the knob turned. Belatedly and sheepishly, the chimera realized that as the daughter of Philionel, Amelia would have access to almost every suite of rooms in the rambling palace. Even if that wasn't the case, she was a shrine-maiden and had access to unlocking spells. Either way, she was going to get in. Lovely. Just lovely.

"Mr. Zelgadis?"

Amelia's dark-haired head poked into the room, bright sapphire eyes peeking inquisitively around the slab of carved wood that was the door. Upon seeing Zelgadis, the door was flung open wide and Amelia straightened in the doorway. "Mr. Zelgadis, come on. We must go, and the Council of Seyruun will not be happy for the wait." Though it was extremely difficult, the chimera took in Amelia's appearance without turning a hair. The Princess was a vision in cream-colored silk and gold.Spidersilk-fine gold threads had been subtly worked into the weave of the cream silk, giving it a faintly glimmering radiance. Embroideries in varying thicknesses of gold thread blossomed flawlessly along her fashionably-cut bodice and along her hemlines in intricate loops and sequences. Pearl drops hung at her ears and numerous seed-pearls hung in three thin strands around her neck. She wore a total of four rings, all varying in importance and meaning. The 'ally of justice' favored her friend with an anxious smile, "Let's go!"

Zelgadis levered himself up from the chair he'd been sitting in with a stifled groan, but didn't move beyond that. Not realizing he was putting voice to his thoughts, he grumbled, "They'll take one look at me and call the guards." Amelia lunged forward and grabbed his hand, dug her heels into the fine rug, and (in an amazing feat for the small princess) forcibly dragged the stone man to the open door. "Come on, Mr. Zelgadis, this is no time for your carrying on again. The council doesn't like to be kept waiting. Nor does, Miss Lina, for that matter…"

Boosted by his thoughts popping out of hismouth (even though he partially wished they hadn't), it gave him ground to continue on. "How do you think your council will react to me, Amelia? They'll think I'm a monster, just like everyone else does. They might resent you because you want them to _reward_ a monster. They might even stop trusting your judgment in—"

**_SMACK!_**

Zelgadis started in shock at the door jamb, still trying to register what had just happened. Wait... Hadn't he been looking at Amelia a second ago? There was a faint tingling on his cheek. If it had been actual skin rather than stone it would've stung tremendously, and probably even left a mark. Able to focus again, he slowly, almost experimentally turned his head to look down at Amelia. The princess's expression was one of supreme annoyance and impatience. There was even a brush of mildest worry and hurt in there, too, as if his words had been a personal blow to her. Never mind that she was flexing her hand as if it smarted, or as if she were preparing for another slap. Most likely it was the prior. Full, coherent streams of thought were beyond the chimera at the moment.

"Mr. Zelgadis, I'm tired of it! All of your self-loathing, and wallowing in angst and negativity! (Even if rabid fangirls love it.) If you don't remember, _you_ have saved members of the Seyruun Royal Family multiple times, and, chimera or not, the council wishes to thank you. You fought for justice along with me, and warriors of justice should be thanked properly! And, not to mention, they've seen you before, and know you as one of my friends." She jabbed his solid chest with an angry finger, "And if you haven't noticed, I don't think you're a monster!" Another jab. "Nor do Miss Lina or Mr. Gourry. Or Daddy, for that matter!" Each name was punctuated by a stab of her finger. If anyone could give speeches that seemed like one giant sentence, it was Amelia.

"So, _Mr._ Zelgadis," She poked him again, making his suddenly stiff body sway for a fifth time. "If you don't quit it, I will lock you in a room with the Temple Choir and have them sing hymns of love, joy and happiness until they drop with exhaustion!" Her voice had crescendoed with her speech. Luckily, this particular wing was empty of all other people. Amelia now stood solidly in front of the chimera, an unhappy but determined frown on her face and her fists planted firmly on her silk-clad hips.

_She wouldn't…_ Zelgadis protested with private horror. Upon realizing that, yes, she would indeed stay good on her word, the chimera felt a sizeable sweat drop form. Even put in so few words, the threat was scary enough. The Temple Choir was famous for being able to sing non-stop for days on end with minimal nourishment. They were most sought-after for festivals that ran from three days to a week long.

"A... Amelia?"

"May we go now, Mr. Zelgadis? If we don't hurry _now_, we _will_ be late."

Zelgadis blinked, hesitating only long enough to let her words register then stepped out through the doorway and into the hall, closing the door behind him. As the mechanism locked into place with a soft click, Amelia stepped back to give the sorcerer-swordsman some room to walk. She was about to turn and start towards the council chamber when she found herself present with a polite arm. Momentarily baffled, she mimicked the chimera's blink. Zel's proffered escort wavered, and the faintest tinge of pink brushed his cheeks. He had begun to wonder if he'd made a mistake and was about to pull away completely when Amelia's hand rested gently on his arm. He looked down to find himself faced with a small, slightly quirked smile from her. His mind still vividly replaying Amelia's brief loss of temper, he simply nodded almost meekly in response.

Simultaneously they stepped forward, and the silent pair made their way towards the Council Chamber at a much-faster-than-normal-but-still-refined pace.

The cracked door across the hallway from Zelgadis's room swung open a few more inches. The maid inside the room, who had been cleaning it when the Princess had arrived, peeked out and stared down the hallway as Zelgadis and Amelia rounded the corner. She watched the empty hallway only for a bit longer, a mixture of amazement and admiration thick on her plain features. With a grin and a satisfied sigh, the maid pushed the door open all the way and went back to her dusting. She had known it before, but this just further confirmed the fact that Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun was the best princess any country could ask for.

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Another Note: I kind of made the Temple Choir up… I was inspired by my own school's Women's Ensemble, who preformed in Disneyland for a four-day comp two years ago, and they had money troubles from the first day … It wasn't exactly their fault… Their hotel cheated them for room-prices (they had to sleep on their bus for the last night), and they were sold meal-tickets that were no longer valid. I was told it was a nightmare x.o But they sang all four days and swept the comp, which was something to be proud of. Anyways... I dunno. It's probably just me, but this seems a bit clumsily put together. Maybe my brain is justfried already. I'm not even entirely sure why I chose /now/ to put it up. Might be edited, might not.


End file.
